1 . A few years ago, I worked as an English teacher for girls in Silverton, a small, rural farming community south of Portland.

One day, I asked the girls what ______ they were interested in. To my surprise, the answer was wife / mother or hairdresser. I was ______. These were bright girls with so much to offer — such limitless ______. And yet, they saw only two ______ in their futures. These girls needed role models. They needed exposure to the working world so they could make informed decisions. How could I help them? What resources were ______?

I searched the Internet, and ______ a gender equality grant (拨款) through the state and applied. Much to my joy, we were selected. Together with two qualified educational assistants, we started ______. We needed to get help from successful ______ women. I wanted to arrange field trips to their workplaces, but I was ______. The conservative parents would not ______ their girls to travel. So I started making phone calls and inviting presenters to our school. To my surprise, many of them ______ to make the trip. The girls listened attentively to their ______ and responded with reflective, in-depth questions.

The school year passed quickly. When our final presenter had left, I posed the ______ question to the girls. “What careers are you interested in?” This time, the ______ were very different: accountants, educational professionals, bookkeepers, nurses, managers... The result went beyond my ______. Bringing about positive changes in these girls’ dreams makes me feel great.

3 . When I was a little boy, I lived in my grandma’s old house. It was _________ by four huge vegetable gardens, and around the house were planted so many _________. On the back porch, Grandma had dozens of potted (盆栽的) plants hanging on hooks (挂钩). She _________ them, and talked to them. With a little water and a lot of _________ she kept them alive, green, and growing even during the coldest, darkest months.

As a little boy, I was confused by all the effort she _________ them. I understood the vegetable gardens for they helped to _________ the family all winter long. I _________ understood the flowers around the house as they were pretty and smelled so sweet in the summer months. The reason why she _________ to those potted plants with so much effort, however, made me feel _________ a lot. They didn’t give us any food and they __________ had any flowers on them. They remained an unknown to my mind as a(n) __________.

Now as I’ve grown older, I am beginning to __________ why my grandma had those potted plants. It is the same reason why I have so many pictures of sunrises and forests __________ in my home. They remind me of the dark cold winter months __________ of bare trees and yellow grass when light, love and growth still exist. But my greatest __________ of light and love was Grandma herself, who was light to my soul even in my darkest times.

6 . I moved to a new city and took a job in marketing. I didn’t really understand whether it _________ me. I enjoyed doing things that I felt had _________ — I could see their benefit and feel their impact. As the months passed, I felt it just was improper for me.

A job advertisement for a(n) _________ for a new youth magazine came at exactly the right time. I applied and was successful. My role was to help teams of young people edit their _________ and help them with their work. I had assumed the magazine would be a(n) _________ of games and dull reviews, so I was _________ when one of the first pieces written was about social welfare. _________, I found something I was interested in.

I felt a change in me straight away. I had a purpose again. Days were lost to discussing hot topics and reading the words of their strong and opinionated (坚持己见的) voices. _________ in their world, I could see myself making a difference to the team’s _________ ability. As our website hits __________ and the work shifted to reflect what our __________ wanted, I developed a greater __________ of what young people might want to read.

The biggest change the job brought, though, was to my well-being. It is rare you find yourself in a job you love, one that you are happy to __________ each day. I was thriving in this __________ environment, inspired by the talented young people I was helping to __________ their careers. Now, I realize that there are jobs that will keep you energetic and inspired.

7 . As I had grown up in Belgium, going to university in the UK made me feel_________and lonely. Although I was_________, I felt unable to share my feelings with anyone and_________about my future.

Things were getting harder and harder and, one day, the moment I saw my poor history grades on the noticeboard, my heart_________. I even had a sudden thought that_________my life would be a way out. I was in my own world when a girl_________me and said: “You look upset. Are you OK?”

_________I didn't say much back to her, the little conversation was all it took to interrupt my suicidal (自杀) thoughts. The small talk was a great _________to me and made me realize it's OK to _________for help. I spoke to my university and they provided me with a mentor (导师) to help. I also shared my feelings with my loved ones. By doing so, I created a strong support network that I could__________.

When I started working at Network Rail in 2019, I heard that Smaritans provided training for __________working in the rail industry on identifying and helping people who may be vulnerable(脆弱的).__________, I knew I had to sign up. I wanted to turn my experience into something useful and positive, and to equip myself to offer__________ to others who might be feeling like I did back then. The session was fantastic and interestingly shone a light on the fact that everyone has the skills to __________to others, and even save a life.

So, if you ever notice someone struggling, try to talk to them.__________, starting a conversation is just a small act, but sometimes that is all it takes to save a life!

8 . The sun was beginning to sink as I set off into the Harenna Forest. I was on my way to _________ a unique honey harvest. Here, in south-east Ethiopia, hand-carved beehives (蜂房) are placed in the _________. Reaching them to get the honey is difficult and often _________.

I followed beekeeper Ziyad over a wide stretch of grassland _________ entering a thick jungle. Ziyad began preparations. He gathered _________ of damp tree leaves, wrapped them with string, and _________ the bunch to create a torch (火把). Then, with one end of a rope tied to his waist and the other end around the trunk of a tree, Ziyad began _________. He stopped every few minutes to move the _________ higher up the tree trunk.

_________, Ziyad got close to the hive which was around 20 meters above the ground. Sitting on a branch, he __________ towards it and blew smoke from his torch into a tiny hole in the hive. Suddenly, Ziyad __________ a sharp cry. Within seconds, he’d __________ the trunk and was back on the ground.

It was too __________ to collect the honey. A cool summer had delayed __________. Baby bees were still in the honeycombs (蜂巢). The angry adult bees kept attacking as Ziyad escaped from the tree. He had to wait for the right __________ to go back up.

10 . Last year, I started the journey of being a remote product designer. The thought of a flexible (灵活的) schedule, a comfortable home office, and the escape from the _______ public transport was incredibly _______ . The first few weeks were filled with a long-lost feeling of _______ .

However, the _______ of working from home gradually set in. I had started my day with the best _______ , promising myself quick breaks and regular stretches (伸展) . But deadlines, endless emails, and virtual meetings _______ me to my computer throughout the day, leaving me little time to _______ . Gone were the short walks to a coworker’s desk and the quick lunchtime walks around the office complex. Finally, my world was _______ to the walls of my home, my steps _______ in meters only rather than kilometers.

One day, I tried ________ one of my favorite dresses and it wasn’t passing through my waist (腰) at all. Looking at myself in the mirror, I saw a ________ person carrying extra weight, rather than someone enjoying freedom. The ________ of work and personal life had left me feeling like I was a never-ending motion machine.

This incident (事件) marked the ________ of a journey of self-discovery. I made up my mind that I needed a (n) ________ not just for my waistline but for my overall well-being. It was a promise to prioritize my physical and mental health, and a promise that I could ________ control over my life and my body.